Queens officer reunites dog ‘Ling Ling’ with her owner after 2 1/2 years

A pooch that was stolen from a woman’s backyard in Philadelphia ended up in the hands of a Queens police officer who was able to reunite the duo.

Police Officer Carlota Payano of the 110th Precinct was on patrol when a bystander approached her with a Shih Tzu. The dog had been found on an Elmhurst street and Payano took Ling Ling to a vet to see if she was microchipped. Luckily, the dog’s owner, Ms. Bell, had microchipped the dog before she was stolen.

Payano was able to reach out to Bell, who drove down to the 110th Precinct headquarters at 94-41 43rd Ave. in Elmhurst to be reunited with her dog.

“She called the phone number on file and the owner was very surprised to hear that her dog was found because she believed it was stolen from her yard 2 1/2 years ago,” said Police Officer Janine Rivera of the 110th Precinct Community Affairs Unit. “She lives in Pennsylvania and came right away to pick the dog up. She was very happy and grateful to get the dog back.”